The Explorations in Antiquity Center

Israelite versus Canaanite Altars

 

Imagine the rocky desert landscape of biblical times, complete with authentic sheepfolds and stone burial tombs, threshing floor and waterwheel, inviting you to walk through antiquity, enhancing your understanding of ancient history and the scriptures as you do.

This is the Explorations in Antiquity Center—a unique new attraction in central west Georgia that beckons visitors to explore a place and time of long ago. Phase One of the development opened June 1, 2006, with full-scale archaeological replicas taking modern-day time travelers back several thousand years to the Middle East, the birthplace of the world’s three largest monotheistic faith traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The interfaith Explorations in Antiquity Center offers a journey of the mind and heart into yesteryear and, in so doing, teaches volumes about daily life in biblical times.

“The Center’s main purpose is to bring ancient history to life, to help people go back in time and place,” says Dr. Jim Fleming, world-renowned biblical scholar, archaeologist and founder of Explorations in Antiquity.

On the Advisory Board of Biblical Archaeology Review for more than 30 years, Fleming led the development of the Center, filling it with full-scale archaeological reconstructions of discoveries from throughout the ancient world. The outdoor exhibits focus on the life of the shepherd, the life of the farmer, and the life of the village with each exhibit painstakingly crafted to reflect life as it was in ancient times: enter the goat hair tent and you can almost sense the shepherds taking a break from the fields; linger at the well and imagine locals chatting while their camels drink; from the vineyard watchtower, view Old and New Testament tombs with bone boxes that will raise goose bumps on your arms, as will the crucifixion trees.

Future plans call for an outdoor stepped theater to serve as an invitation for visitors to enjoy holiday sound and light shows, and to provide a new way to celebrate the Christmas and Easter seasons. Traveling archaeological exhibits of Middle Eastern artifacts from museums and private collections throughout the world will be displayed routinely, with guided tours of these world-class exhibits arranged by appointment.

For more information, see the Explorations in Antiquity Center web site.